More Mexicans Leaving Than Coming to the U.S.(continued, Chapter 2)

Chapter 2: Mexican Immigrants Then and Now

With the slowdown in recent immigration, Mexican immigrants living in the United States today are a more settled population than they were 25 years ago, an era before large numbers of their authorized and unauthorized fellow citizens crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. Compared with 1990, Mexican immigrants in 2013 were considerably older (median age of 39 vs. 29), better educated (42% with high school diploma or more vs. 24%) and had been in the U.S. for longer (77% had been in the U.S. for more than a decade, compared with 50%).

Economically, Mexican immigrants both gained and lost ground. While median personal earnings increased about $2,700 since 1990 (in 2013 dollars), the median household income of Mexican immigrants dropped by about $1,700 in the same period. This likely reflects the effects of the Great Recession in the U.S. and the slow recovery.